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United States Patent | 5,721,676 |
Bolden ,   et al. | February 24, 1998 |
A data communications system for a plurality of centrifuge instruments, each with a local controller, includes a central data controller and a communication link that connects the central data controller to each of the instrument controllers. The link complies with Electronic Industries Association (EIA) Standard 485. The central data controller transmits a predetermined command and an instrument address signal over the link. Each instrument controller is responsive to the transmission of the command signal and to its respective instrument address signal by transmitting to the central data controller over the communications link the then-current values of at least some of the set of operational parameters for the particular centrifuge instrument.
Inventors: | Bolden; Paul Anthony (Woodbury, CT); Poulin; Thomas Raymond (Southbury, CT) |
Assignee: | Sorvall Products, L.P. (Newtown, CT) |
Appl. No.: | 544680 |
Filed: | October 18, 1995 |
Current U.S. Class: | 700/3; 422/72; 436/45; 702/19 |
Intern'l Class: | G06F 019/00 |
Field of Search: | 364/138,139,131-136,550,551.01,496-500,188,189 422/72,68.1,62,63-67,44,105-116,119 436/43,45,50,55 494/1,7,10,11,16,37 |
4707834 | Nov., 1987 | Frisch et al. | 371/20. |
4903191 | Feb., 1990 | Fries | 364/187. |
5063494 | Nov., 1991 | Davidowski et al. | 395/800. |
5207634 | May., 1993 | Greenstein | 494/10. |
5287265 | Feb., 1994 | Hall et al. | 364/188. |
5399262 | Mar., 1995 | Hawkins et al. | 210/195. |
5428470 | Jun., 1995 | Labriola | 364/497. |
5449621 | Sep., 1995 | Klein | 436/45. |
5454777 | Oct., 1995 | Ziems et al. | 494/8. |
5492831 | Feb., 1996 | Ranger | 436/50. |
5568262 | Oct., 1996 | LaChapelle et al. | 356/379. |
EIA-485, Standard for Electrical Characteristics of Generators and Receivers for use in Balanced Digital Multipoint Systems, Electronic Industries Assoc., Apr. 1983. IEEE Standards Project, P1073, Standard for Medical Device Communications Overview and Framework, May 1992. |